Broken
by red rose knight
Summary: Speculation on the Episode III duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin/Vader.
1.

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Summary_:_ Speculation on the Episode III duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin/Vader.

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The usual disclaimers apply. George Lucas owns it all; I am not making any money on this.

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Authors Note: This was just one of those evil plot bunnies that wouldn't let me write anything else until I completed it. This tale is purely my own fantasy and it should take about a week to play out. 

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Broken

With every fall of worn boots, dust and small pieces of debris were sent skipping across the broken stone floor. Deep mahogany material brushed lightly against the brown leather as the silent figure paused before continuing his journey through the crumbling remains of one of Theed's great buildings.

Not even the gentle breeze that swirled in through the collapsed ceiling like the currents of the ever-flowing Force could soften the sound of footfalls.

A mournful cry of a kaari bird in the distance, weeping for its lost grasslands and poisoned springs cut into the strange pall that dominated chamber. 

The gray floor rose up in a gentle crescendo before reaching a precipice that ran the length of the main hangar. Obi-Wan Kenobi stopped at the edge, staring down at the more than a meter drop. His exhaustion-dulled thoughts wondered what kind of firepower it took to shatter the floor and bedrock below. 

A small frown slipped across the care worn Jedi's face. The truth was he knew exactly what kind of power it took. More times than he wished, he had witness the might of the Grand Army of the Republic, nee the newly christened Imperial Navy.

Turning toward the red tinged Naboo sky, the Jedi welcomed the warmth of the yellow light that filtered through the dust-clogged air. Watery blue eyes crinkled at the edges as he watched tender wisps of smoke move like ominous clouds overhead. 

Bits of rubble tumbled over the diminutive cliff as the Jedi took a step closer to the edge. His calm gaze lightly scanned the crumbling walls of the hangar. A whiff of acrid air caught his senses and impelled Obi-Wan to stifle a cough. 

Burying his hands in the billowing folds of his cloak sleeves, he continued his silent inspection of the hangar. The waterfall entrance had collapsed under the assault. It had been a miracle that the cliff face itself had not torn away. Glancing back over his shoulder, he noted the burned out remains of the only starfighter left in the hangar. Just a touch of the goldenrod yellow remained at the back edge of the crushed ship.

The rest of the starfighters had fallen in battle; their scattered remains littered the blackened countryside. The combined efforts of the Naboo and Gungan armies could do little against the might of the Imperial troops that stormed across the planet leaving a swath of destruction in their path. Those few that had survived the attack came away with little more than their lives.

The suddenness of so many lives lost left a psychic scar planet wide, the horror still fresh in the Force. The unseen tides slammed into the Jedi, the agony of a million voices suddenly crying out in terror. Not even the most intricately woven of mental shielding could protect the Jedi from the onslaught. Not that it mattered to Obi-Wan. Naboo's devastation was not enough to drown out his own anguish.

The wounds of his heart remained for no salve could heal them.

Reddish-brown of his cloak fluttered as he leapt down onto the sunken section of floor. Dust stirred upon a muted landing. 

Maintaining his inspection of the chamber, the Jedi continued on his journey toward the palace entrance until a patch of white caught his eye. 

Obi-Wan approached the object, which was coated completely in a yellowy mixture of cinder and stone, save for a small area that gleamed perfectly white as if beckoning to him. Answering the silent summons, he used the toe of his boot to clear a small area in front of the waiting object before kneeling. 

Battle worn fingers grasped the bottom edge of a discarded helmet. Gripping the cool surface he roughly pulled it from the rubble and turned it over in his hands. With his sleeve, he wiped the face clean revealing the emotionless mask of a Clonetrooper. 

Fingers tightening over the scratched surface until his knuckles paled but just as quickly as the brush of anger had exerted itself, it was released into the Force.

Caressing the edge of his cloak over the black eye slits, he wondered how this soldier had met his end. Only a few meters away, the Jedi spied the helmet of a palace guard lying upside down. Returning his focus to the Clonetrooper mask he felt the cold spike of memory. The foreboding that had been there on his journey to Kamino and the first time he had laid eyes upon the clone army came back to him only to be lost amongst the turmoil of the war between the Republic and the Separatists. 

Whatever idealism Obi-Wan had possessed in the beginning of the Clone War had been vanquished by strife. He, like the other Jedi, mere tools in solidifying Palpatine's power only to be destroyed when they no longer served a purpose in his grand scheme for galactic domination.

Shaking his head, the Jedi wondered how he could have been so blind. 

Offering a bitter laugh, he discarded the helmet with care, leaving it nestled among the debris. 

He had been blind of so many things. 

Rising to his feet with feline grace, the Jedi paused to tug at the frayed edges of his cloak and noted the singed material just above his left elbow, the remnant of a blaster bolt that had been far too precise. 

Or not precise enough, he mused.

The strain of the past months wore heavily on Obi-Wan's face in the deep lines at the edge of his eyes to the somber expression he was unable to cast aside. It shown in the number of silvery wisps that had crept into his ginger strands over the last few years.

Fingers brushed back salted locks as he heaved a labored sigh but it did little to lighten his troubled spirit. With every passing day, the bindings that imprisoned his soul grew more difficult to bear. Soon, he was certain, the weight would crush him.

A small noise–the sound of rock over stone–drew Obi-Wan's attention and he turned as if expecting to greet someone, anyone. 

Instead of a friendly face, he was met with the unrelenting glare of two bent, orange doors left sitting ajar. Taken in by the shear power of the scene, it left him unable to find the strength to pull away.

A lifetime had gone by since he had passed through the towering gateways with his master in pursuit of the tattooed Sith lord. In his memories, he saw the doors, whole and unbroken, slide open revealing the dark figure. 

Swept up in a dream, the weary Jedi trekked across the broken floor. 

_We will handle this._

The protective folds of his cloak slipped from his shoulders and dropped without mercy onto the powder-covered floor. There was no hesitation in his movements as he strode the remaining distance.

The first time he had passed through the doorway, his world had been ripped apart and his life forever lain upon a path not of his choosing. 

Could he take it all back by passing through once more?

Could he take back all of the lives lost do to his actions and mistakes by facing the darkness?


	2. 

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Anamnesis 

Durasteel vibrated under Obi-Wan's thunderous pace as he raced over the lightweight decking of the narrow catwalk. The gentle, upward curve of the walkway carried the Jedi across the massive expanse of the Senate chamber's false ceiling. Like the webbing of a great arachni, the suspended walkways floated above the elegant Borimai glass dome. 

The crystalline creation shimmered with ethereal blues and greens, casting a calming light into the chamber below. The effect was opposite within the false ceiling where an eerie turquoise ambience filled the enclosure. 

Turmoil raged within the Jedi as he bound from one section to the next. Nearing the apex, he pressed his emotions to the side and cast out through the Force. Every place he touched with his extended senses, the darkness reigned. With every passing moment, the light grew a little dimmer. Jedi were in battle for their lives all about the structure and he could feel their numbers diminishing with every passing moment.

If he did not enter the fight soon, he would be all that was left of the Jedi within the Senate Complex, not that escape was his plan. The Army of the Republic was marching on Coruscant. All avenues of escape would soon be closed. 

The violent shake of the rickety catwalk threatened to rip apart at the brackets and crash into the heavy glass that separated him from the floor far below. Yet, he could not slow, every footfall driven by desperation. 

The madness had to be brought to an end.

Palpatine must be stopped. 

The murky veil woven by the Sith lord had done its job well to disguise the dark power he wielded as well as his plans for galactic domination. Now the shroud was lifted and those that could–would–waged battle against the agent of darkness. They would die if need be.

He would die.

Just beyond his reach, he could feel the two faces of the Force battling one another and the light struggling against the consuming darkness.

At the apex of arching web of maintenance walkways, he vaulted onto a work platform. His gaze zoomed in on the next catwalk that would lead him a little closer to the Chancellor's heavily guarded office before he had to enter the patrolled and embattled corridors. 

With the barest warning through the Force, his breath hitched as he bounded backward just out of reach of a flaming blue blade. The familiar hum of a lightsaber flew at him once more causing Obi-Wan to duck out of the way and crash into the thin rail eliciting a groan as it bent under the strain. Colored splotches danced across his vision and hid his attacker in the shadows.

"Traitor!" a voice echoed off the curved steel plating of the roof. The otherworldly lighting was shattered once more by the bright blue saber blade as it was driven toward the stunned Jedi but came to an abrupt halt the instant it crossed the paler blue of Obi-Wan's weapon. 

"Anakin!" the older Jedi called out as he blocked another intense attack before throwing himself out of the way of a wild swing. Shock radiated through the ginger haired knight at the darkness that swam about the youth. Wrapped up in the moment, he was not given the time to think.

Anakin Skywalker drove the blade down, slicing through the railing where his master had stood a heartbeat earlier. "Did you think I would let your treachery go?" he growled through clenched teeth the rage vibrating in his voice. 

Squaring his shoulders, Obi-Wan brought his lightsaber up defensively as he carefully shifted a step toward the walkway. He did not have the time to fight his apprentice. He would cross swords.

The Force pulsed with Anakin's fury and the ease at which he grasped the Dark Side. 

"I will not fight you," Obi-Wan said, the strength of his defiant voice echoed throughout. 

The dark tides within the Force bloomed with the declaration but Anakin merely laughed. The tall man straightened as calm glazed his features; the Borimai glass glistened in his bright blue eyes but reflected no joy. "I'm not here to fight you, Master," he mocked. "I'm here to kill you."

Shifting into a more ready position the Jedi shook his head. "Not this day Anakin." The youth had been led astray, misguided. If only he would stop, the truth–

"Truth!" Anakin barked. A swipe of his gloved hand sent the older Jedi flying across the platform and smashing into the decking. A clatter echoed as Obi-Wan's lightsaber was knocked free of his grip and tumbled over the walkway. 

"Do you think me so stupid, my master?" Drawing the azure blade over his head, he shifted his weight and brought the weapon down.

"No!" Obi-Wan called out as he rolled out of the way of the driven blade. The familiar hum brushed close to his ear before it cut another deep gash into the floor. Reaching out, the Jedi called the hilt of his weapon to his hand just in time to deflect another blow. "Anakin, please–"

"After everything you have done?"

The Jedi kicked out, the heel of his boot connecting with the interior of the fallen apprentice's ankle. As Anakin tumbled, Obi-Wan rolled back and bounded to his feet, his pale blade matching Anakin's and driving him back a step.

"Stand down, padawan," Obi-Wan said as blue on blue ground together, but the younger had size and physical strength to his advantage and easily pushed the other over the floor. 

The platform shuddered under foot, shifting with every leap and bound. A terrible racket raced over it as it strained under the continuing battle.

Breaking away and delivering a strong upper cut, Anakin knocked Obi-Wan's blade back before attempting to drive the tip of his own through the Jedi's chest. Twisting into the attack, Obi-Wan deflected it and moved to a more open area on the platform.

Shadows danced across Anakin's face giving cruel lines where none had existed before. Moving into an offensive stance, he spat, "You think to little of me, my Master, if you think I will allow you to assassinate the Lord Chancellor."

"Can you not see–"

"He is a good man! The Republic needs a strong leader."

"Not a dictator. He cares nothing of the Republic except the power."

"I won't hear your lies!" Anakin threw himself into the conflict, the hum and crackle charged the air as the two combatants struggled for control in a space that was far too enclosed to accommodate a saber fight. 

With every lunge and strike, the Jedi shifted a step closer to the walkway. "Stop and think!" Obi-Wan demanded. Sweat beaded against his forehead causing the salted ginger strands to cling to his skin. "Palpatine is a Sith. He's in a power grab." Just as he was about to continue, a surge in the dark power wrapped itself around the two men and the blitz of Anakin's attack drove the Jedi into the damaged rail. "He's using you, Padawan," was all he could manage between saber clashes.

"You are wrong!" Anakin launched himself at the other man. 

Using his momentum against him, the Jedi sent the youth flying off the platform and crashing onto a walkway deck. 

Anakin's rage came out in a feral howl as he sprang back to his feet. A reckless lower cut intended to shorten the Jedi at the ankles failed as Obi-Wan jumped out of the way. Not pulling back in time, the blade sliced through a support rod and damaged a suspension cable. 

Offering a wounded cry, the catwalk shuddered against the new strain placed upon it by the duelist's deadly dance.


	3. 

Deep within the structure, lights continued to burn, albeit far dimmer than normal as the last of the power from the auxiliary systems drained. Soon a permanent darkness would fall, as there was no one left to maintain the equipment or effect repairs to all the damage that had been wrought upon it. 

Obi-Wan paused, casting his gaze along the bluish stone wall. Carbon scoring marred the surface where a battle had raged. Where Clonetroopers had stormed in and killed all who had resisted and many more who had not. The lingering memory of those deaths floated absently past the Jedi, his attention focused on the narrow corridor that lay ahead. 

At the edge of his mind's eye the ghost of the now dormant capacitors engaged and the glowing laser walls sealed him from the circular room just ahead. His heart pounded with eagerness and desperation to pass into the waiting chamber.

The sound of shifting debris shattered the illusion and drew the Jedi's silent attention toward the shadows as he listened to the distant echo of falling stone. The walls all around him were veined with cracks that rose up from the foundations reaching toward the ceiling. 

It would all come down soon.

But not today.

Returning to the reverie, he folded his arms across his chest in a well-worn fashion before stepping into the once laser protected corridor. 

Midway through, Obi-Wan paused. As crisp as the day it had happened, he memories brought the click-clack-swoosh of the security system back to life. Everything was awash in red and the air vibrated with the menacing buzz. A few cells ahead, the Jedi conjured up the image of his master kneeling in quiet meditation as the tattooed Sith stalked before him impatiently awaiting the continuation of their battle. 

His pulse thundered in his ears as he too shifted, ready to break and race ahead the instant the lasers disengaged.

Raising a battle scarred hand; he stared at it for a moment as if astounded by the existence of actual flesh and blood. Within the dream, he pressed callused fingers into the memory of the laser wall. The beams did not burn him for they no longer exited. Pulling his hand back in surprise, Obi-Wan stared into the round chamber that lay unguarded before him. The silent voice of the Force beckoned, tugging at his weary spirit and pulling the reluctant figure toward the room where everything changed.

At the entrance, he turned back, his boots leaving prints on the dust-laden stonework. The gentle currents of the Force guided him forward.

His heart ached as a heavy sigh left him but it did little to lift the invisible weight he bore. Yet, something moved in his mind, a soft voice whispering into his thoughts.

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All would be over soon, one way or another.

Inside the generator room, Obi-Wan paced along the outer wall. His fingers grazed the cool surface, grounding him to this place. The fading lights fluctuated, intensifying before dimming once more as if threatening to abandon him to the complete darkness that loomed ever so close. 

Retreating from the safety of the wall, stone crushing under each footfall, Obi-Wan approached the edge of the melting pit. The abyss gazed back. 

Closing his eyes, he allowed the gentle crests and falls of the eternal currents of the Force to brush against his still form. Within the waves lingered the faint memories of the terror that had befallen the bucolic world. 

For all the agony of this world, it could not drown out the faintest remembrance of his master. Qui-Gon Jinn's death, as much as his life, had left an indelible imprint on all that he had touched. His Force signature remained embedded among the structures of the chamber. 

Homing in on the mark, the ginger haired man offered up a small smile as he sank to his knees before the very place his master's flame had been extinguished. 

Brushing wayward strands of hair from his face with a rough hand, he searched the gentle patterns in the pale gray powder that dulled the once glossy floor.

"I am here. What do you want of me now?" he demanded of the dusty air.

Midnight blue eyes stared up at him.

_It is too late for me._

In dream, Obi-Wan moved to touch the image of his master but the ghost faded sending searching fingers passing through emptiness. 

_Train the boy._

A pang of regret shook the Jedi. "I cannot." The words had been spoken too late to change anything. 

The silence refused answer to the declaration.

"I failed you. I failed Anakin. I failed the Order–"

A crash echoed through the dead structure before the hush commanded once more. 

The straight line of his shoulders collapsed, unable to bear the burden anymore. Weariness like he had never known before consumed him. He wished only for a respite from the battles, the wars, the running, desperation and duty. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi was exhausted.

Seeking not only the memory of his master, he sought the familiar Force signature of the man himself but it remained elusive. All he wanted was to know that he was not alone.

"Even now you will not speak to me," he said flatly, wishing the silence did not wound him so.

The Force twisted about; its formerly gentle currents grew agitated. Light and dark battled for dominance. 

A part of him wanted to remain oblivious to the growing disturbance but he could not. The time had come.

Resigning himself to the fate that awaited, the Jedi drew the Force to him. Hoping only to exude the calm and possess the strength his master had before the laser walls opened so long ago.

He would face his fate with the same serenity the older Jedi had. And by doing so, he would make amends in the only way he knew how.


	4. 

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Anamnesis:

Every breath came in shallow bursts as Obi-Wan retreated from Anakin's extended reach. "You can stop this."

"It is too late for that." The younger paced the small area before an anchored workstation like a wounded Melorian tiger. The Borimai lights gave a cool sheen to his sweat dampened face. His intense gaze never left that of his former master as he moved across the deck toward the walkway the Jedi was so desperate to get too. With a cruel smile he shook his head in silent warning. 

Anakin rushed forward, his weapon held in a two-handed grip.

The maintenance platform rattled with each landing, its size keeping the battle close-quartered as the combatants surged back and forth. The calmer Jedi easily deflected Anakin's emotionally charged slashes, but Obi-Wan could do little to protect the catwalk as it suffered under the onslaught. He knew they would soon find themselves at the bottom of the Senate chamber if the battle did not quickly end.

Gathering the Force, the Jedi channeled it as he reached out. Anakin, as if sensing his adversary's intent, leapt out of the way of the invisible attack and somersaulted over Obi-Wan's head. The Jedi spun about slamming the rail that Anakin meant to land on with a Force push. The support shook, jarring the blond haired man from his would-be landing and nearly toppled him over the edge onto the glass dome below. 

Before the youth could fall, Obi-Wan rushed forward, grasping the black material of his tunic and pulled him forward just enough to allow him to tumble safely onto the deck. With the sweep of his boot, he kicked the lightsaber hilt out of Anakin's mechanical hand. 

The instant the danger was sensed, it was too late and Anakin sent the Jedi flying. The young man rose to his feet and with a sharp motion called the dormant hilt back to his protective grasp. "More tricks and lies," he said as the saber snap-hissed back to life. 

A long, deep exhale was the only answer the Jedi offered as he sadly shook his head. After all these years, did Anakin really know him so little?

How could he have been so easily taken in by Palpatine's dark machinations? The same way all the Jedi had, they believed what they did was in the service of the Republic. Palpatine had exploited Anakin's weaknesses.

Pushing the thought to the side, cerulean eyes focused on his wayward apprentice. While his heart refused to accept it, he knew that it might very well be too late to save Anakin. Still unwilling to give up, his thoughts raced over a thousand things he could say, all of which he knew would be firmly rejected. Then, in silent acceptance, he knew where he had to go to reach the young man. "What about Padmé?"

The azure blade faltered.

Taking advantage of the moment and wishing not to continue fighting his padawan–Anakin was still his responsibility–the Jedi rushed forward, hoping to make it to the walkway spanning between two maintenance platforms. If nothing else, he wanted to reach stable ground to finish the fight.

Underfoot the platform wrenched hard tossing its occupants to the side. Obi-Wan desperately gripped the rail, turning back to see Anakin's wickedly pleased expression and several severed suspension cables dangling next to him. A terrible moan filled the air as the deck twisted causing the catwalks attached to it to strain. Rivets cried out as they were pulled from their welding and the deck buckled. 

A menacing look grazed Anakin's usually handsome features as he raised a trembling fist. "You will not escape," he said in an even tone. The Force writhed with the dark energies as it was brought to bear on the shuddering walkway. The platform shifted. 

"Do not do this," Obi-Wan softly said.

"He was right," Anakin whispered.

With the simplest flick of his wrist, the fallen Jedi ripped a damaged section of walkway free and sent it flying to the side. 

The chamber shook with the power of a great cataclysm the instant the twisted durasteel crashed into the Borimai glass. With the sound of a thousand cannons, the dome warped under the impact, then deep veins popped and laced across the shimmering surface maddening the strange lights. 

"Where is my wife?" Anakin demanded. The glow of his bright blue weapon gave cruel lines to the tender flesh and formed dark shadows around his once gentle eyes. 

"Safe," was the singular reply.

Incensed by the answer, Anakin lunged at his former master, his blade cutting cleanly through the air. The static clash sparked over the connecting platform as the blades slid apart. Obi-Wan's arms shook as he struggled to hold Anakin's fierce attack back. Blocking the barrage, he twisted and kicked out. The heel of his boot squarely connected with the other man's chest. Anakin grunted as he was thrown backward into the already damaged rail. The metal growled as it bent under the strain nearly toppling the former Jedi over the edge. His quick reflexes were all that saved him as he propelled himself forward again.

"Where is she?" Anakin cried out. His blade matching Obi-Wan's stroke for stroke before being caught in a low block. Completing a turn, the youth's bare hand crashed into the Jedi's jaw. Obi-Wan countered with a foot driven into the back of Anakin's calf. 

The younger went down as Obi-Wan staggered back a step. The back of his hand dragging over his split lip smearing blood across the sweat coated flesh. Ginger strands dangled limply across his vision before being shoved back with rough fingers.

"She is afraid of what you have become," Obi-Wan rasped, his weariness with the fight showing itself in the heavy breaths he allowed as he fell back into a defensive position. "She wishes only for the man she loved to return, not a servant of the darkness."

"I am still that man," Anakin replied with a harsh voice before rising to his feet. His gaze narrowed. "She has nothing to fear from me."

"Does she?" 

As a young initiate growing up in the Temple, Obi-Wan had always been filled with the warnings of not succumbing to the Dark Side. Fearful stories that he had held close all his life that even now in the heat of battle they came to him. For once touched by the Dark Side, forever would it dominate your path and all that you were would be lost.

He looked to Anakin and wondered if it were already too late.

No, he would not accept that.

The youth's bright gaze sought out the Jedi's calm but worn expression. For a moment, as brief as it was, Obi-Wan thought he saw a glimmer of the boy Anakin had once been. But like everything else, it passed into shadow as Anakin's expression hardened. 

"If she does fear me, it is only because you have poisoned her with your lies."

Obi-Wan adjusted his footing as the platform shifted underfoot. "Do you think so little of her?"

"I have great faith in my wife. It is you whom I do not trust."

"Padawan–"

"Don't call me down like I am a child!" Anakin lashed out verbally and physically. Swiping the saber blade at a downward angle, Anakin left a long gash in the deck plating. "You have kidnapped my wife! What do you want me to think?" He struck driven by his anger.

Fire tore through the Jedi as Anakin's weapon sliced across his upper arm. Biting back an agonized cry, he retreated as far as the small platform would allow. 

As Anakin approached, he punctuated every footfall with a word, "Now, where is she?"


	5. 

"It is only fitting, my Master, that you return to the place where your treachery began," the deep, mechanized voice resonated as the quiet chamber became awash in the steady, automated breathing of Darth Vader. The dark caped figure stalked across the floor. Moving without hesitation, he activated his crimson lightsaber, which cast an ominous glow in the muted lighting. Long strides never faltered until he reached the kneeling figure.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes but remained motionless, his unprotected back exposed to the dark lord. Instead of shielding himself, he reached for the Force, seeking its calming energies.

Spoken in that slow bass, Vader taunted, "Does he speak to you, my Master, the way he had so often whispered to me?"

_My master._

Sighing heavily, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and bowed his head. Even the gentle ebb and flow of the ancient energy could not ease the anguish that rushed up through him at the cruelty inflicted upon those words. Struggle though he might, the Jedi knew the peace he needed would not be with him this day.

"He saw you for what you are, a failure." Vehemence laced every word, especially the last driving it into the quiet older man. "Your failing as a master is now complete." The dark lord paused and turned as if listening to something only he could hear. The cape that draped his armored shoulders swung out like a great bird of prey swooping toward the Jedi before being swept back by a leather encased hand. 

Words, nothing more and they could not harm him, Obi-Wan swore. Not if he did not let them. 

Yet it was a war he fought everyday, more often than not losing as their pronunciations crept into his consciousness.

"You must have been a great disappointment to Qui-Gon Jinn to be so easily cast aside for a slave boy he had only just met."

With a fire more powerful than any lightsaber, grief pierced Obi-Wan's heart but his expression remained serene.

Vader turned to stare toward the melting pit, the lights reflected pitifully off the smooth black helmet that separated the mechanized man from his former self. "Was it your failures as an apprentice or jealousy that cost Qui-Gon his life?"

_No, it was not jealousy! Never jealousy._

The cruel lines of the false face turned to focus on the silent Jedi.

_It was failure._

The words bit hard and demanded the Jedi answer them out loud. With inborn grace, he rose to his feet and calmly turned to face the embodiment of the Dark Side.

The culmination of his failings.

Vader slashed at the air with his weapon bringing the fiery tip dangerously close to the still figure before him. "Did you imagine me so blind, my Master?" his voice vibrated against the unyielding walls. "You allowed him to be cut down. For all of your Jedi honor, your sins are no less than mine for you set all this in motion." A sweep of a gloved hand motioned to the crumbling room and stirring the dust ever so slightly. 

Motioning back to his shattered form.

The dark lord was not the only one bearing a mask, for Obi-Wan kept the turmoil raging inside carefully checked behind his own calm gaze. A deep exhale met Vader's boldness the instant the dark lord closed the space between them. 

The menacing hum of the Sith's lightsaber was nearly deafening. He held out his leather-encased hand for the Jedi to see. "Just as easily as you cast Qui-Gon into his death, your jealousy tossed me to my doom." He drew his hand into a tremulous fist. "You let go."

Obi-Wan said nothing. 

"You could have saved me, my Master." The glowing red blade at Vader's command was not the weapon of choice as he delivered another accusation, "Out of jealousy you held me back when it was clear I was far superior to you and when that would no longer suffice, you sent me tumbling to my death." With all the menace and power of the Dark Side, Vader boomed, "I was destined to be the greatest of the Jedi!"

"In raw power only," came the soft reply. 

The Force bubbled with Vader's silent rage.

Sadness clung to Obi-Wan's pale blue eyes as he studied the monster that had once been Anakin Skywalker. "Power alone does not make a Jedi great."

__________________

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Anamnesis:

Sparks exploded and rained down over the metal floor as Anakin cried and stumbled away from his former master. "Lies," he snapped. "She would never go along with your treachery." Twisting to better examine the singed material of his black tunic sleeve, he pulled at the smoldering section revealing the damaged components of his mechanical arm beneath. "You tricked her into betraying me and now hold her hostage." Fury simmered in hooded eyes. 

Obi-Wan knew words would only fall upon deaf ears. Anakin would never believe–never accept–that Padmé feared him as much as she loved him. She knew the only way to protect herself and her unborn child was to go into hiding, even if that meant hiding from her husband. "If you will just stop. Please," the Jedi begged, lowering his weapon. If only Anakin would calm down and listen. In desperation, he conjured up the memory of his last conversation with the young woman before she was spirited away to safety. He did not know what the words meant, but he hoped as she did, that Anakin would. "Padmé wants you to know that there is a galaxy full of stars out there."

The lightsaber trembled in Anakin's grip as he shrugged off the injury and returned his gaze to his former master. Anger bled into grief and his expression softened into one of heartache. He seemed to sink into himself. "The Lord Chancellor was right," he half whispered. "My wife and my master have betrayed me."

"No, Anakin, she told me–"

"You were always jealous of me. It was not enough to hold me back when I should have been knighted. You had to take my wife too," Anakin said with a dangerous calm. "You were jealous of everything I possessed and I was blind, but the Lord Chancellor has seen all and he has shown me the truth."

"And what truth is that, Anakin?" the Jedi asked, for words while they stung could not wound him like a saber blade.

The younger shook his head, the wounded look falling behind an icy mask. "I will kill you and then I will find Padmé and there is nothing in the galaxy that will stand in my way."

"He has lied to you. Padmé would never–"

"This ends now!" the young man barked and raced forward slashing at the air and driving Obi-Wan into the bent rails. The dark side bloomed as he brought his weapon about before delivering a powerful thrust.

Deflecting the attack, Obi-Wan twisted, tightly coiled muscles moving in perfect harmony just centimeters beyond the killing fire. The force of the blow glanced Anakin's blade off Obi-Wan's and sent it searing through the floor and a support.

It was one too many as a terrible metallic cry rang out causing the platform to wrench from its anchors and fling the two men toward the edge.


	6. 

Again displaying his lack of fear, Obi-Wan turned his back to Vader. His gaze returned to the place where Qui-Gon had died so many years ago. Where an obedient padawan had doomed an entire galaxy with a simple promise. 

"Why did everyone have to die?" The words had been spoken even before the thought had completely formed in the Jedi's mind. The anger quickly rose with every word as he continued, "How did the Naboo and the Gungan wrong you? What did they do to deserve death?" The fury bled away the instant he spun about to face his former apprentice. 

Anger would not be allowed to possess him–destroy him–as it had Anakin.

The immovable ebony mask offered no answers to the Jedi's questions.

The silence took its toll. 

Steeling himself, the Jedi spoke evenly, "What happened to you, Anakin?"

An infuriated howl echoed off the walls as Vader rushed forward. A leather bound gauntlet drew into a mighty fist and slammed into the side of Obi-Wan's head sending him crumbling to the floor.

"Skywalker is dead," Vader harshly replied but his steady breathing never altered as he lorded above the downed Jedi. 

Fire laced through his skull threatening to wash the ginger haired man into a sea of black. His body moved with little coordination as he forced himself to rise from the floor. His right eye burned and watered from the tooth-rattling blow that could easily have shattered his cheekbone. Thick red flowed over flesh where the skin had split upon impact. He could feel the thick liquid washing through his beard and down the side of his neck. Carefully steadying himself, he turned to face the now fuzzy image of the armored figure. Not yet ready to give in, Obi-Wan carried on, "Anakin Skywalker was a kind–"

Once more the powerful fist connected with the side of Obi-Wan's head. A startled oomph escaped him the instant he crashed into the stone floor sending gray powder swirling about.

"You will not speak that name again," Vader warned. Red glistened against the black of his knuckles.

"You knew that Padmé was not here. There was no reason for this genocide," the Jedi sputtered as he picked himself up off the ground again and planted his feet firmly on the blood-splashed floor. "Was the death of innocents and the destruction of Theed to punish her?"

Vader drew his arm back to strike his former master once more.

"Padmé loved you," he implored to the part of Anakin he hoped remained. "Still loves you." He struggled to clear his vision of the blur. "Is this how you repay her? You destroy her home and the people she dedicated her life to protect?"

The black fist flew forward but the Jedi refused the physical manifestation of Vader's rage and shifted out of the way suffering only a slight breeze as the fist flew passed.

Little mercy found its way into Obi-Wan's words, "By destroying the Jedi, this how you repay Qui-Gon? What happened to your dreams, Anakin?"

______________________

__

Anamnesis:

The decking underfoot bucked as if bent on shaking the unwanted occupants free of its wounded form. Obi-Wan clutched the shattered remains of the protective fencing as the platform writhed and turned up on its side as it tore at its failing supports. 

A suspension cable exploded under the strain whipping across the deck. Unable to duck out of the way of the jagged end, it whipped across Anakin's left arm and back leaving a bloody trail where it met flesh. His wail was deafening against the clatter of the crumbling walkway.

A large section of a connecting catwalk ripped free of the platform and smashed through the already damaged Borimai glass. The twisting steel quickly followed a rain of blue shards tumbling into the Senate chamber below. Jagged edges along the glass' gaping wound were like great teeth of some carnivorous beast waiting to swallow the two Force users whole.

Grunting from the exertion, Anakin struggled to hold on even as his blood slicked the surface. Rivets beneath him started to pull free of their settings. He cried out as his grip was lost and slid over the rough plating, barely able to catch himself before being pitched over the side. Reddened fingers fought desperately to hold on.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called out, shifting just enough to be able to stare down over the twisted platform to where his padawan desperately clung. His heart lurched at the sight. "Hang on," he managed even as his gaze fell to the red stripe across the youth's back and arm where he had been struck with the flailing wire.

Knowing they would both be dead soon if they did not seek safety away from the platform, he released his protective hold of the rail and allowed himself to slide down the slanted deck daring to get close to the man that had sworn to kill him only moments earlier. Reaching out, he said, "Give me your hand."

Air caught in the Jedi's lungs as the younger man hesitated. He would not let Anakin fall. 

Bright blue eyes flicked from the offered help to the long drop he was about to take. An intense fire lit the depths and then with a reluctant nod, he obeyed.

Obi-Wan leaned forward, muscles straining as he wrapped his hand around Anakin's wrist pulling him back onto the relative safety of the platform even as it began to shift again. A cruel snap filled the air as another cable broke and smashed into the floor just centimeters from where Obi-Wan was anchored. He jerked back to avoid the backlash but missed the _snap-hiss_ of Anakin's saber. 

The Jedi howled as the glowing azure blade grazed his side. He struggled to get away, to find clearance to defend against the unwarranted attack but Anakin would not release his grip. 

The younger man barked, "It will never be enough!"


	7. 

"You were always a fool," Vader's deep voice intoned as his crimson saber flew forward with the determination to put an end to the battle of words only to be stopped by a powerful block. Red clashed and sparked against blue.

The Force buffered the calm figure, shielding him from the bone jarring crash of weapons. Vader moved about quickly striking at him from every angle, seeking the first instance of weakness in the Jedi's defense. Try though as the dark lord might, Obi-Wan endured. 

The Jedi easily dodged each wild slash and potentially fatal swing of the sword. While every explosion of meeting blades made his heart ache more, he knew that the time for speaking was over. Vader would not listen and Anakin Skywalker was gone. 

Yet he was loathe to give in so completely. "Anakin."

The word was jolted from him as he was pressed to defend against an unwavering thrust. Mere centimeters spared his life. Then just as swiftly as the attack had begun, it ended as Vader retreated a step. The black cape swept around the dark figure, gliding just above the powder-strewn floor. 

Taking the moment, Obi-Wan wiped the cream-colored edge of his sleeve across his split cheek collecting a large red stain on the material.

With the slightest wave, Vader commanded the Force to send the Jedi flying backward with an invisible hand and shattered the spell of calm Obi-Wan had possessed. 

Before the Jedi could regain his balance, the dark lord threw himself forward. The blood-hued blade sliced low followed through with a wild upper cut that glanced off blue. Unrivaled power flowed through the black shrouded figure as he hammered the blade down on his opponent. Every successful impact drove the Jedi another step closer to the melting pit. 

Obi-Wan gritted his teeth, struggling for purchase even as he was shoved over the grit-covered stone floor. A deep throb built in his muscles as he absorbed the brunt of each blow. "You can stop this," he said between ragged breaths.

Blood tickled as it oozed down the side of his face from the gash below his right eye. The thick red fluid oozed itself into the ginger hairs of his beard. His arms shook from the strain as he parried a downstroke. Countering, his pale blue blade clipped the black armor at the dark lord's shoulder. 

An orange explosion of sparks from a damaged mechanism went unnoticed as Vader eliminated the space between them. Scarlet flashed and with the flick of a wrist the dark lord inflicted a thin slash across the Jedi's back. 

Jerking hard to the right, while fighting against the newfound pain, Obi-Wan turned and kicked out connecting the back of Vader's knee.

The masked figure roared as he sank to the floor before catching himself. With a frustrated growl, the fallen Jedi moved faster than the cumbersome suit belied and drove his weapon forward. "This ends now!" 

Fighting against the injury, the Jedi bounded backward, a mere step ahead of the lethal weapon. The cream of his tunic hung open revealing the torn flesh that grazed his spine. Breathing heavily Obi-Wan retreated beyond the Sith's reach and dropped his saber arm to his side. After a brief pause, the blue blade was disengaged.

He was tired.

While his vision had remained somewhat blurred, the pain in his head had been relegated to a place where it would not interfere with the combat. Every breath burned and he struggled to reach his calm center. 

Pale azure met the hidden gaze of his apprentice–friend–as he awaited Vader's next move.

It was a mercifully short wait.

Vader whirled about in a flourish and rushed the Jedi once more. Red sliced through the still air, its aim true and clear. 

An instant of blue. 

In the distance of a heartbeat, a width of meters stood between the two men, flaming weapons in hand, as silence reclaimed the chamber. 

Obi-Wan stumbled.

Uneven boot falls echoed in the sudden silence. The blade once more disengaged as the silver cylinder slipped from numb fingers and clattered to the floor. Every breath burned as he clutched his wounded shoulder. The stench of burned flesh and material wafted about. Vader had made contact.

The fire of a dying age had left a deep gash from the top of the Jedi's shoulder down across his chest. The scorched material of his tunic gaped open revealing the angry wound. 

Pain swam in the blue depths of his eyes as he wavered before gaining enough strength to face Vader once more. Through the fog of physical agony, he slowly became aware of the other man's mechanical breathing. Though now it was no longer that even, mechanized sound. A haunting wheeze and click bled from the dark figure. 

The Sith straightened, revealing an equally devastating slash across his chest plate. His suit controls were heavily damaged by the Jedi's final effort. The click and wheeze of his forced breathing filled the chamber.

A languid motion of the dark lord's gloved hand commanded the unbridled power of the Dark Side. He sent the Jedi crashing into the wall.


	8. 

__

Anamnesis:

A low moan echoed throughout the chamber as the maintenance station on the platform that had suffered so in the raging battle broke free of its moorings and slid over the slanted surface. Ripping through the thin rails, the console smashed into the Borimai glass creating a larger wound in the once elegant dome. 

The ever shifting weight too much to bear, a deck support shuddered and bent with a terrible growl sending the platform crashing into the jagged edge of the dome. Thick blue shards sliced through the floor plating as if it were nothing. A long, narrow piece ripped into Anakin's mechanical arm. Crying out in surprise, he released his hold of Obi-Wan. 

Under the savage rain of glass, the Jedi threw his arm across his face protecting it from the barrage of tiny explosions that blew all around him. Sensing Anakin's movement, Obi-Wan peered under his dingy sleeve just in time see him dive toward the center of the now bowed platform.

Dark power swelled around the younger man as he swept his blue blade about with deadly intent. Anakin burned bright with rage as he drew the shadowy energy to him. Catapulting off the bent deck plating, he lunged for the Jedi. 

The ginger haired man threw himself backward just as the other bore down. Rolling back, Obi-Wan kicked out redirecting Anakin's momentum and in a fluid motion tossed the youth over him. 

The instant he had gone into motion, he recognized his mistake. Anakin flew over the damaged railing just as Obi-Wan whirled about and launched himself at the rail. 

The young man's lightsaber clattered across the damaged deck plating.

Anakin cried out at the sudden halt to his fall. The rail moaned and bent under the Jedi's weight as he struggled to hold on to the younger man's arm. Blood that had flowed so freely over torn flesh from the wire injury made it even more difficult for Obi-Wan to get a good grip as Anakin slipped further through his fingers. 

"Give me your hand," the Jedi demanded through gritted teeth not wanting to waste any more energy than he had to.

Anakin tried to raise it but the damaged servos did not respond quite as they should. His head shifted limply to the side revealing a deep laceration on the back where he had hit the rail. Under their struggle, the platform sank a little deeper into the shattered glass threatening to take both men with it. 

The bent railing dug into the Jedi's wounded side and he gasped for each breath but could not let the pain interfere. He had to save his apprentice. Sweat ran into his wounds and intensified the fire that raged through him. It was too much; robbing him of his much needed hold of the Force. He clutched desperately to Anakin's arm that seemed determined to slip further through his grip. "No," he growled. "No. Do not let go." The younger did not respond. Weary muscles were infused with his determination to hold on, no matter what. "Anakin," his fear laced voice called out. "Padawan."

The hard angles of the rail's utilitarian design cut deeper into the Jedi's wounded side even as he pressed harder seeking what little aid he could in firming his hold of Anakin's wrist. Sweat beaded against his pale skin while he fought for a stronger foothold. Just beneath where his former padawan dangled was the jagged edge of the shattered false ceiling.

"No." He could not draw on the Force. He could not focus. Breaths came quick and shallow. "Anakin, wake up." Concern tempered his voice, "Anakin."

The young man's head jerked back. Bright blue eyes focused briefly on him before dulling.

"Snap out of it!" Obi-Wan barked but the youth slid a little further. "No. No."

But a power far greater than the Jedi reached up and wrapped its dark claws around Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan could feel the darkness growing but was helpless to combat it. His calm scattering, as he realized that he could not even rescue his own apprentice from the abyss.

"Anakin! Fight it!" 

Again the young man's head jerked and bright blue eyes focused. "Why?" he asked softly. "Why save me after everything–"

"Help me," Obi-Wan said. "Hang on, Padawan."

Anakin slipped further through blood slicked fingers.

"No," Obi-Wan growled. "No. I will not let you go."

But no matter how hard he tried, Anakin grew heavier in his grip.

Then he was gone.

__________________

Fire clawed across Obi-Wan's chest as he fought for each breath between miserable bouts of movement. He had to get up. He had to face Vader even if that was all he had the strength for but his body rebelled leaving him slouched against the wall. Every shallow gasp tearing free of the Jedi only battled for dominance against the rasp hiss of Vader's damaged life support. Pressing his wounded back against the cool wall, Obi-Wan spurred his traumatized form into a sitting position. Watery blue eyes rose to the large figure. Twilight blurred the edge of his vision as Vader closed the space between them.

The sections of shattered chest plate ground together with every motion the dark lord made. Towering above his former master, Vader casually brought his weapon forward and with a twist of his mechanical wrist aimed the blade down and adjusted his grip. A single stab of the crimson blade was all that was required now. His adversary was rendered helpless.

For Obi-Wan Kenobi, death would not come in the heat of battle, but instead in the form of an execution, branded a traitor to all he had once faithfully served. 

The Jedi opened his mouth to speak but instead desperately gulped small amounts of air. Anguish expressed itself in tears cascading down his bruised and bloodied cheeks. "No," he finally managed after several failed attempts, the word high and broken. "No."

Red splashed across the sharp edges of the inhuman mask Vader wore where no emotion could bleed through. He spoke no words, consumed with the hitch of his failing respirator and the deed at hand.

Death had come.

Obi-Wan focused his gaze, wishing for the strength to accept death without flinching.

_Give me your hand._

In the end, Vader had been right. He had failed. Failed so completely, so miserably. He gripped his wounded shoulder with what remained of his strength. 

Raising the red blade high, Vader prepared to end it. 

_No._

Allowing only a slow exhale, Obi-Wan braced himself as the lightsaber was driven down. Scarlet seared his vision as the tip of the blade suddenly halted and floated centimeters before his face. The warm hum vibrated in the still air as the heat of the blade danced over his flesh.

Vader's wheezing intensified, but once more he hefted the blade over his hooded head. No remorse echoed in his voice. "It is now over, my Master."

_Hang on, Padawan!_

Offering a weary smile, the Jedi nodded and closed his eyes, his tattered spirit longing for respite from the battles and strife. The gentle ebb and flow of the Force called to him.

He was ready.

_I will not let you go._

Yet, the deathblow never fell.

Grief the Jedi had never known before welled up at the sound of retreating footsteps. Obi-Wan cried out, "No!"

Vader's slow gait across the stone floor broke off at the edge of the melting pit. Deactivating his weapon and lethargically clipping it to his belt, the wheezing figure turned and studied the Jedi once more. "Go," the mechanized voice said without inflection. 

"Anakin," the Jedi mouthed unable to vocalize the name.

"There is nothing between us now." The dark lord turned his back to Obi-Wan, squaring his armored shoulders. "See that we do not cross paths again, my Master. Next time I will not be so merciful." 

And like that, Vader was gone.

Tears coursed down Obi-Wan's colored cheeks as he began to sob oblivious to the pain of his physical injuries. Pressing a pale hand to his battered face, he could do little but mourn the lost moment.

He had been denied release into the gentle energies of the Force. His soul ached as he reached into the swirling currents, seeking meaning for his continued survival.


End file.
